Dance, it's good for you!

Like many, at about 5 year old, I found myself in dance classes before I was ready to appreciate the lessons. I may have asked for them, or my parents may have "seen something" in me that suggested an interest or talent. Either way, I'm grateful for those lessons; dance, like sport, encourages some confidence and physical self-possession.

Below, I've posted three pretty enjoyable routines.

1. Female performance from a Korean dance competition.



2. Rehearsal for a 4.08 collaboration between The Atlanta Ballet and Antwan André Patton (aka Big Boi, of OutKast fame).



3. Classic MJ doing the Moonwalk and the Robot over a hard beat.

Visualization Excercises and Other Adventures in Teaching

Early in college, although majoring in finance, I was interested in studying the causes and implications of boys' poor performance in reading and writing. Given the choice in an assignment, I would find a way to talk about it. In public policy, economics, public speaking, I found a way. Then, in the Spring semester of my sophomore year, I decided to do some fieldwork, to lead a group of middle school boys through half a dozen weekend sessions in the language arts (just imagine their enthusiasm). The sessions packed-in reading comprehension, vocabulary-building, and essay writing. Having just boys, all African American or Hispanic, I chose subjects and texts which addressed facets of masculine and minority identities. We covered Malcolm X's path to literacy, and Hemingway's The Revolutionist. Below, you'll see pictures and responses from one of the sessions; the exercise was to describe the image as it became clearer. I chose The Banjo Player by Henry Ossawa Tanner.

Sample Responses:
Image 1: "Someone putting their hands up. Black, orange, green, grey, white. Outside."
Image 2: " A child sitting on someone's lap. The grown-up playing a guitar."
Image 3: "A grandchild sitting on his grandad's lap taking a guitar lesson."

Another exercise was to explain "What does it mean to be a man?" and "What kind of man will you become?". (remember, these were 6th-8th graders)

What does it mean to be a man?

"To be a leader, and a good role model. To be wise. To be strong"

"...to be strong and smart. To be a good sportsman, like playing football or basketball. And no one can hold you back from your dreams."

"Men are superior beings. They rule and conquer for their beliefs, through a lot of history we have. To take care of things like yourself, family or business. To be respectful at all times and regulate on a lot of disorderly conduct in a vicious (lively) manner..."

What kind of man will you become?

"A rich, successful man. Hard working. Own a business. If I'm going to get there, I will have to get through high school and college. I will also get good grades."

"I [am] going to play football in the NFL."

"To be a strong, rich and wise man...You are going to have to pay attention to your education। You are going to have to get a good job, and you have to be strong emotionally and physically. And you have to go to college."

Two Voices, Lifted

This is the month for it. The song is "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (also known as the "The Negro National Anthem", for the uninitiated). The song is challenging to pull-off for a lot of reasons, not least of which is the emotional import of the lyrics. So, you'll find versions that are too earnest or too detached and self-important, too conservative in style or too messed-with. The traps and their victims are obvious. But I've found a couple of fresh versions to enjoy.

Favorite Art from Early Adolescence (Part 1)

Winter
by Maxfield Parrish

In my early teens, I started to appreciate the more romantic, heroic imagery of Maxfield Parrish. It was probably the right time for it, before enthusiasm has a chance to be dampened and balanced by experience. Parrish's paintings are remarkable for their vivid colors and glow, effects achieved by his use of glazing, where bright layers of oil color and varnish are applied alternately over a base rendering.

Fine Writing: the Last Word on Super Tuesday

Obama vs. the Phobocracy

The Washington Post(02.04.08)

by Michael Chabon

With all respect and praise to Toni Morrison, in this piece, Michael Chabon has written what I feel is the finest endorsement of this presidential campaign thus far. (Click the title "Fine Writing..." for Chabon's article)

Favorite Art from Childhood (part 1)

Icarus
by Henri Matisse

When I was 10 or so, I asked for a poster of Icarus, this famous work by Herni Matisse -- probably the first one I asked for specifically. It hung in my room, until the house burned down some years later. At the time, I wasn't sophisticated or curious enough to know that the piece came from Matisse's 1947 book titled Jazz, or that the piece makes reference to a character from ancient Greek mythology. No doubt, I was drawn to the primary colors and the basic expression of weightlessness...and the fact that it looked like something I could have put together. That's enough to make me like some pieces of art even now. I haven't changed much.

Not mincing words: a definition

To not mince words:
Inflected Form(s): minced; minc·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French mincer, from Vulgar Latin *minutiare, from Latin minutia smallness — more at minutia
Date: 14th century

1: to say what you mean clearly and directly, even if you upset people by doing this.

Barack Obama in September 2002:

"I don’t oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne."

My Architect: A Son's Journey (1/11)

Nathaniel Kahn made this documentary about his father Louis, the great American architect. My Architect features interviews with several giants of modern architecture, including I.M. Pei, Anne Tyng and Philip Johnson. The film was nominated for the 2003 Academy Award for Documentary Feature.

Time out for fine art

Night Probe: Saddam's Capture
by Tomer Hanuka

"People all over the world saw that news footage... Iraqis as well. his capture was celebrated in the west like another step towards 'fixing' Iraq, but must have been less than festive to the hundreds and thousands of Iraqi orphans living in ruins..."

www.thanuka.com

Fareed Zakaria on identity and social insight

The Power of Personality by Fareed Zakaria

This article, touching on identity and social insight, is decent and short. Fareed Zakaria, a prominent journalist, Editor of Newsweek Int'l, wrote the article. I like it in large part because Zakaria is so established, while he appears to accept the need to remain flexible.

www.newsweek.com/id/78157

A good opener: Jia on Bob Johnson's recent remarks